Melania Trump Reads Dr. Seuss to Children in First Solo Outing as First Lady

WASHINGTON — Melania Trump made her first solo foray in public as first lady on Thursday, visiting a hospital pediatric wing to read to sick children.

Mrs. Trump, who has been reluctant to embrace the high-profile and ill-defined role of presidential spouse, began with a brief and simple outing: an afternoon reading of a Dr. Seuss book in honor of the author’s birthday and National Read Across America Day.

“So you know what is today?” she asked the children, who wore hospital gowns and gathered in a playroom in the pediatric wing of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan to see Mrs. Trump. “It’s a reading day. So I came to encourage you to read, and to think about what you want to achieve in life.”

Mrs. Trump, whose aides had arranged for a small pool of reporters and photographers to cover the visit, then proceeded to read “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!,” a Dr. Seuss classic with an inspirational message that she said was a favorite of hers.

“You’ll be as famous as famous can be,” Mrs. Trump read from the book. “With the whole wide world watching you win on TV.”

Mrs. Trump has stayed mostly out of the spotlight since President Trump took office. She has appeared at her husband’s side for a handful of official events, most recently accompanying him to the Capitol on Tuesday for his address to a joint session of Congress. But she has avoided the press and done nothing in public to carve out her own priorities or initiatives as first lady.

Michelle Obama made outings with young people a staple of her time as first lady, often making unscheduled stops to spend time with them. On Tuesday, the former first lady was back at it, surprising students in a vocational program at a Washington public school, where she spent more than an hour discussing the importance of pursuing higher education. Mrs. Obama posted a photograph of her visit on Twitter.

Mrs. Trump has said she is interested in working to combat cyberbullying, but has yet to start such a program. And while she has named a chief of staff and a social secretary, the White House has not announced the hiring of other key players in the East Wing, such as a communications director, a press secretary or other senior staff members. Mrs. Trump has made it known she does not intend to be much of a presence in Washington at least in the short term; she has opted to reside in New York while the couple’s 10-year-old son, Barron, finishes his school year.

On Thursday, she donned large black sunglasses and stepped into a car that was part of a small motorcade waiting outside Trump Tower to take her to the hospital about a mile and a half away.

“I hope you’re all feeling well,” Mrs. Trump told the assembled children. After she finished reading the book, Mrs. Trump gave it to a young girl who had been listening, saying, “I encourage you all to read a lot — to get educated.”